Darswords

Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress by Lorissa Rinehart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d like to begin with the blurb from Goodreads.
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Born on a Montana ranch in 1880, Jeannette Rankin knew how to drive a tractor, ride a horse, make a fire, and read the sky for weather. But most of all, she knew how to talk to people, how to convince them of her vision for America. It was this rare skill that led her, in 1916, to become the first woman ever elected to the House of Representatives.

As her first act, Rankin introduced the legislation that would become the 19th Amendment. Throughout her two terms in 1916 and 1940, she continued to introduce and pass legislation benefitting unions, protecting workers, and increasing aid for children in poverty. In 1941, she stood tall as the sole anti-war voice in Congress during WWII, advocating for pacifism in the face of tragedy and stating that you can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.

A suffragist, feminist, peace activist, workers’ rights advocate, progressive, and Republican, Rankin remained ever true to her beliefs—no matter the price she had to pay personally. Yet, despite the momentous steps she made for women in politics, overcoming the boys club of capitalists and career politicians who never wanted to see a woman in Congress, Jeannette Rankin’s story has been largely forgotten. In Winning the Earthquake, Lorissa Rinehart deftly uncovers the compelling history behind this singular American hero, bringing her story back to life.
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I must admit that I didn’t recognise the name, Jeannette Rankin. And I feel embarrassed that I didn’t know about her and her family.

This should be a textbook in a women’s studies class. Sadly, for me, it was more informative and less gripping. I wonder if having narrators would pull me in more? Perhaps as a movie, it would be the best way to convey this information. I wanted to like the book more. We need to know more about the women who did important work in America. We need more than His-story about men and their wars.

Maybe my problem is that I’ve been enjoying the Maisie Dobbs mystery novels and wish that kind of writing could be used to tell this important story. It’s probably just me, and how my brain processes knowledge.

Still, I was glad that NetGalley allowed me to read this on Kindle, with Text-to-Speech.

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